, 1887-11-27

been more than usually violent, and had
in many places dislodged the rocks from
the canyon sides and blocked the way
even for riders. Formerly parties Of.
''prospectors'' or solitary gold seekers
had frequently passed that way into the
recesses of the mountains, which, in va
rious places along the range. were said to
bear promising indications of the pre-
cious metal. Recently, however, they had
taken other roads or had abandoned the
quest altogether in hat neighborhood.
Almost touching the great misshapen
trunk of the oak tree was a huge bowl
der, so followed out on its southern side
as to form a recessed seat where one
could rest absolutely screened from the
view Of any who should chance to pass
aiCng the road; but since Stella had
taught in the canyon school she had
never, while resting under the oak, seen
a wayfarer pass by.
The fresh breeze rustled the foliage, the
mocking bird changed its note to one of
yet greater sweetness. The sunlight mel
lowed and the shadows grew longer. The
mountains began to put on those magical
tints which transform them from stony
g~iants-gaunt and arid-into forms of
surprising loveliness.
Stella had left her seat, and, turning
northward, was giving them a lingering
farewell look, wben-was not that the
sound of a footstep?-just where the road
wound past a projecting rock. Afootstep
and a hurried, painting breath?
Involuntarily the girl shrank back into
her recess.
There, unless indeed the footsteps
should turn aside into the shadow, she
would be absolutely unseen. The solitude
had somewhat strained her nerves; her
heart beat violently.
II footstep came nearer, nearer; was
close at hand now; but did not pause.
h painting breath and now a smothered
groan caught Stella's ear distinctly.
Breathing hurriedly herself, she bent
forward as the step passed on. She
saw a slender, roughly dressed man,
travel stained, with a wallet strapped
upon his shoulder. She caught
one glimpse of a colorless face with a look
of haunted horror in it, and, before she
had time to wonder, she saw why.
Footsteps again, and this time two men
following that other. Two men, or were
they fiends?
Narrow, cleaning eyes, straight black
locks falling half over brown, devilish
faces, a swinging yet crouching gait,
nervous, claw like hands that swung
with a half f1uttering motion, as though
by anticipation lowering over the prey,
now so near.
And what was this? One of them held
a coil of rope which even now he was
shaking, posing in air, then, with q
marvellous dexterity, fiinging forward.
1t fell, and in falling, circled round the
body of the man before them.
All, merciful heaven! can that be a
human sound? That yell of hideous
triumph which mingled with the choking,
despairing cry of the victiml
For one moment Stella leaned against
the tree, numb and breathless with hor-
ror-the next-such a passion, such an
almost frenzy Of righteous vengeance
seized her hat her heart seemed bursting
in her bosom.
Alas! she was but a frail girl after all
she trembled like an aspen in the wind.
"God give me strength" she gasped as
her shaking hand closed on the little
weapon-the friend whose hour had come
at last.
The man had fallen forward on his
face; the Indians stood over him; one
stopped to cut the wallet from his
shoulder. They must have supposed its
contents of value, since even the master
passion, cruelty, gave way for a moment.
Then they turned him over and NUT
tered ~disappointedly to one another, for
the level sunbeams fell on what seemed a
dead face. The weather stained bat had
fallen off and disclosed a broad fair fore
head, with a mass of bright tangled hair.
One of the Indians seized the loose
locks with one hand, in the other a dread
full knife flashed back the sunlight for an
instant as it descended on the unconscious
head.
a yell of pain and fear, a wild leap into
air. The knife fell to the ground, while
the hand which held it was pierced by
the messenger of unseen vengeance.
Selling the wallet the unwounded In
dian turned to fly, while the other, thrust
ing the mangled hand into the bosom of
his ragged coat, followed him, grooming
as he did so. Another bullet whizzed past
them-yet another, a third buried itself
in the arm that grasped the wallet, and
one moro struck the shoulder Of the
Indian first wounded.
The wallet had dropped, wkile the two
rufiians, bleeding, groaning, and yet run
ming for dear life, disappeared behind the
projecting rock.
Then Stella sank upon her knees and
sent up a voiceless cry of thankfulness to
the Great Avenger.
Dizzy and faint she stepped out Of her
hiding place. 1t was not twenty yards
to where the man lay m%otionless, with
the sunlight streaming on his bronzed
cheeks and fair forehead.
Was he dead?
She knelt down beside him and laid her
hand lightly on his forehead.
No, he had but swooned.
The necessity for action and the rap
furious thought that she had saved this
fellow beings life, acted like o sudden
powerful stimulant upon the girl. She
knew Of a small stream among the rocks,
quite near at hand, and, almost flying
thither, she filed her straw hat with tho
water, returned and bathed with it the
unconscious face. Then she chafed the
hands-long supple hands, not those Of 4
vagrant.
She watched with o breathless anxiety,
which quite shut out all thought of self,
for the first sign of returning animation.
In some mysterious way the thought of
Tom, poor Tom, mixed itself up with the